These appliances generally use multiple layers of filtration to remove particles from the air. But the best air purifiers for pets capture everything, including dander, pet-related allergens, and clumps of loose fur. “We spend more than 90% of our time indoors, and air inside your home can actually be more polluted than outdoor air,” says Kenneth Mendez, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA). “Good indoor air quality is important for everyone, especially for those living with asthma and allergies. It’s a good idea to invest in portable air cleaners (air purifiers) in rooms where you spend the most time like your bedroom, home office, or living room.” To determine which models are the best air purifiers for pets, we tested 38 different air purifiers in our lab in Des Moines, Iowa. As part of our testing, we placed each air purifier in an enclosed space and exposed it to pet hair and smoke to see how well it captured tiny particles and pieces of hair alike. Our testers also carefully examined each device to determine its quality, what features it offered, and how helpful those features were for daily use. Then, we created a list of the best air purifiers for pets. Our top pick is the RabbitAir MinusA2 Ultra-Quiet Air Purifier because it was the most effective model we tested against dander and pet hair while remaining extremely quiet and easy to operate. Keep reading to learn more about each of the best air purifiers for pets from brands like Levoit, Dyson, Bissell, and more. Keep in Mind: It took our testers several minutes to put this device together since it comes with a separate filter you have to install yourself. Though a pet-specific air purifier is designed to deal with pet-related allergens like odors, hair, and more, there are likely tons of other airborne particles polluting the air in your home. Since your home will only have healthy air if you remove all types of toxins from the room, it’s important to buy an air purifier capable of removing a wide range of particle sizes and types. Our testers loved the RabbitAir MinusA2 Ultra-Quiet air purifier, which was one of the fastest models we tested when it came to improving the overall air quality in the room. After placing it in an enclosed space with smoke and pet hair for just five minutes, this powerful device drastically decreased the hazardous PM 2.5 levels to a level that was healthy again. In fact, it even made the room’s air quality better than it had been before our testing began. Since it has five separate filters, it’s able to remove particles of different sizes from your home. The filters include two pre-filters for capturing pet hair and pollen, a HEPA filter for 99.9% of all particles, and an activated carbon filter for odors. You can also choose from one of several customized filters to add to your device, including a pet allergy filter and an odor filter, depending on which is most prevalent in your home. The RabbitAir MinusA2 purifier is also compatible with an app, so you can view your home’s air quality at any time, review reports to see how your air quality has changed over weeks or months, and change the settings directly from your phone. Plus, the air purifier is Energy Star certified, so it won’t require a ton of energy to run continuously. Keep in mind that this air purifier takes several minutes to assemble because of how many separate filters it has. Our testers found the instructions to be helpful, but it still took them a little while to figure out how to put it together. You won’t be able to simply unbox it and put it to use right away. Price at time of publish: $600 Product Details: Recommended Room Size: Up to 815 square feet | CADR: 200 (pollen), 193 (dust), 180 (smoke) | Noise Level: 61 decibels | Dimensions: 21.4 x 7 x 20 inches Keep in Mind: With a coverage of 1,300 square feet, it might not be the best choice for people with small rooms since it’d be unnecessarily big. This splurge-worthy Alen BreatheSmart air purifier can be customized to your preferences in two ways. There are eight different finishes available, including classic white and brushed stainless, so you can choose one that matches your aesthetic. But most importantly, you can pick from one of four filter types that target specific issues like pet dander and odor or mold and bacteria. The pet-specific version consists of an odor neutralizer that reduces smells from accidents or litter boxes and a True HEPA filter that relieves allergy symptoms by capturing 99.99% of particles bigger than 0.1 microns. At the highest setting, it’s capable of filtering the air every 30 minutes in spaces up to 1,300 square feet. There’s even a built-in air quality sensor so you can see that it’s working. Our testers found that this model was supremely easy to use and understand, with a color-changing LED display to indicate the air quality in your home and a wide range of fan speeds and settings to cycle through. You’ll be able to download the app and pair it to your device, too, if you want to change the settings remotely. Since this air purifier is designed to work in large spaces, it’s likely too bulky to be used in a smaller room like a bedroom or bathroom. If you need an air purifier for a more confined space, we’d recommend choosing one that’s more compact and uses less energy. Price at time of publish: $769 Product Details: Recommended Room Size: 1,300 square feet | CADR: 347 | Noise Level: 71 decibels | Dimensions: 18.5 x 11.5 x 27 inches Keep in Mind: It’s pretty noisy on its highest setting, so it may disrupt you if you plan to run it while sleeping. If you don’t want to spend a ton of money on an air purifier for your home and you’re willing to do without a few bells and whistles, there are plenty of budget-friendly models on the market. After rigorous testing, the Toppin Air Purifier for Pets became one of our experts’ favorites because of its sleek, lightweight design and easy-to-use interface. This air purifier for pets is designed to circulate air five times per hour in a room up to 215 square feet, removing harmful particles that lower air quality. It has vents on all sides, allowing it to take air in from 360 degrees, so you’ll be able to place it anywhere in the room and have the exact same results. With a CADR rating of 100 and a built-in True HEPA filter, the air purifier effectively traps dust, allergens, odors, and more. When we tested the Toppin Air Purifier in our lab, we found that it was very intuitive to operate. It doesn’t offer app connection or any detailed reporting on your home’s air quality over time, but the control panel at the top of the machine is clearly marked and easy to use. You’ll be able to change the fan speed, turn on night mode, and set a timer with just the press of a button. Our testers discovered that this air purifier was also incredibly effective against small particles and large clumps of hair alike. When exposed to smoke and pet hair, this device quickly reduced the room’s PM 2.5 levels from 999 (hazardous) to 2.8 after just 10 minutes on its lowest setting. The Toppin Air Purifier for Pets is louder than many of the other air purifiers we tested when on its highest fan speed. Our tests found that it was around 86 decibels on high, which would likely be disruptive to most sleepers if they tried to operate it at night. For this reason, we recommend only using it on low mode (which is around 55 decibels) when sleeping. Price at time of publish: $100 Product Details: Recommended Room Size: 215 square feet | CADR: 100 | Noise Level: 86 decibels | Dimensions: 7.6 x 7.6 x 14.8 inches Keep in Mind: It’s quite large and will take up a sizable amount of space in a room. One of the trickiest parts about pet ownership is figuring out a way to deal with all of the shed pet hair that seems to find its way into every corner of the house. While buying a good vacuum for pet hair can certainly help with the problem, adding an air purifier can help capture and remove hair from your home, too. Our testers really liked the Winix Ultimate Pet True HEPA Air Purifier, which uses multiple filtration steps to capture debris floating around in the air. This includes a pre-filter, which effectively traps large particles like dust bunnies, pet hair, and dander that would clog a HEPA filter more quickly. The True HEPA filter removes 99.9% of fine particles from your home, including bacteria, chemicals, allergens, and more. There’s even a washable odor-control filter to help eliminate bad smells. During testing, this air purifier quickly worked to reduce the hazardous PM 2.5 levels in our test environment from a 999 to a 2.3 after just 10 minutes. We found that it works best when operating on “turbo” mode; although it was still effective on its lower settings, the process just takes longer. On its auto setting, the air purifier’s built-in sensors will measure particles found in your air and automatically change the fan speed to match it. It also has a color-changing display so you can see your home’s air quality at a glance, which our testers found extremely useful. We wish this air purifier for pets was slightly more compact; at 16.3 by 9.6 by 23.6 inches, it’s quite bulky and takes up a decent amount of space. However, given its effectiveness, our testers could justify sacrificing a little more square footage to make room for this device. Price at time of publish: $330 Product Details: Recommended Room Size: 300 square feet | CADR: Smoke (194), Dust (200), Pollen (220) | Noise Level: 65 decibels | Dimensions: 16.3 x 9.6 x 23.6 inches Keep in Mind: It’s on the bigger side, so anyone with limited floor space or mobility issues might have trouble with it. The Coway Airmega 400S air purifier is your best bet if you want to purify the air in large rooms or entire floors of your home. In a 1,560-square-foot room, it changes the air twice per hour and removes airborne particles floating through your home. It uses three layers of filtration (including a washable pre-filter, activated carbon, and a HEPA filter) to clean the air at least twice every hour. Dirty air goes in through the sides and clean air pushes out the top. When we tested this air purifier in our lab, we found that even on its lowest speed, it was able to effectively remove harmful particles from the air and reduce PM 2.5 levels from a hazardous rating to a healthy one in as little as five minutes. It’s not excessively loud, either—at 72 decibels on its highest fan speed, this air purifier would only be a slight distraction if you were sitting directly in front of it. The Coway Airmega 400S even keeps you posted on air quality: The LED ring on the front changes colors (from blue to red) depending on how clean or dirty the air in your home is. Thanks to its smart mode, the air purifier can automatically adjust its settings based on detected air quality. Plus, the filter indicators tell you when they need to be replaced or cleaned, so you don’t have to keep track of it on your own. Our testers noted that the air purifier has a modern white design, but it takes up quite a bit of space (it measures 14.8 x 14.8 x 22.8 inches) and weighs nearly 25 pounds. Price at time of publish: $606 Product Details: Recommended Room Size: 1,560 square feet | CADR: 400 (pollen), 350 (dust), 350 (smoke) | Noise Level: 72 decibels | Dimensions: 14.8 x 14.8 x 22.8 inches Keep in Mind: It doesn’t have a reusable or washable filter. During testing, our experts were pleasantly surprised by the performance of the Levoit Core P350 air purifier, which was effective at purifying the air in confined spaces while remaining easy to operate. The True HEPA filter (which means it’s been tested to meet the U.S. Department of Energy’s standards) also includes an activated carbon filter, which absorbs pollutants like pet odors, breaks them down, and traps them so they don’t get redistributed into the air. Keep in mind that it’s not a reusable filter, so you’ll have to replace it every six to eight months, depending on use. The filter also reduces the amount of pet dander, fur, and allergens in the air because it traps fine particles floating around in your home. When our testers used the Levoit Core P350 air purifier in our test environment, they found that it was able to effectively lower the room’s PM 2.5 levels from a hazardous rating to a healthy one in 10 minutes—the same amount of time it took several far more expensive models. The air purifier works best in small rooms up to 219 square feet, and its compact size (8.7 x 8.7 x 14.2 inches) means it won’t take up too much floor space. It has a Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) of 240, which is a number that indicates the volume of air it can change 4.8 times per hour. Your air purifier should have a CADR that’s at least two-thirds the area of the room it’s in, but putting it in a larger room just means it’ll clean the air at a slower rate (and therefore be less efficient). It’s also packed with helpful features, including four timers, a sleep mode, and a lock button that prevents your furry friends from messing with the settings. While it doesn’t offer app connection, our testers said they didn’t miss it, since all of the features are easily accessible right on the machine. Price at time of publish: $130 Product Details: Recommended Room Size: 219 square feet | CADR: 240 | Noise Level: 72.3 decibels | Dimensions: 8.7 x 8.7 x 14.2 inches Keep in Mind: It doesn’t have a pre-filter, so larger particles like pet hair may clog the HEPA filter more quickly than others. Dyson is a trusted brand name when it comes to household appliances, and this smart air purifier is another great choice for anyone who wants to remove dust, dander, and more from their homes. It has two levels of filtration—an activated carbon filter for pet odors and a HEPA filter for small particles—and it uses the brand’s signature Air Multiplier technology to circulate the clean air throughout the entire room. When we put the Dyson Purifier Cool air purifier to the test in our lab, our experts were amazed by how quickly this device cleared smoke, dander, and hair from the room. Though the PM 2.5 levels quickly raised to 999 when we added pollutants to the air, the Dyson air purifier had no trouble capturing and removing these particles and reducing levels back to a healthy number in 10 minutes. One of our testers was so impressed, she was instantly influenced to buy one for her own home. We also liked that the device has a built-in oscillating fan, which helps promote good airflow by circulating clean air throughout the room. The fully sealed purifier ensures that none of the particles this device just captured can escape back into the air, so you’ll be able to keep cool without breathing in pollutants. Dyson doesn’t list the CADR for its air purifiers because the brand designed its own tests, but this model can handle rooms ranging from 500 to 800 square feet in size. You’ll be able to connect your device to the Dyson Link app, where you can view detailed reports on your home’s air quality and change settings from anywhere. It doesn’t have a pre-filter to catch pet hair, so this device’s filter may get clogged more quickly than other devices if you typically find fur in every nook and cranny of your home. Price at time of publish: $600 Product Details: Recommended Room Size: 800 square feet | CADR: Not listed | Noise Level: 64 decibels | Dimensions: 4.72 x 8 x 41 inches Keep in Mind: This air purifier is louder than others we tested on its highest fan speed. If you want an in-depth understanding of your home’s air quality without the hassle of downloading and using a complicated app on your phone, the Bissell Air400 Professional air purifier is for you. This device has a user-friendly display with a wide range of features to help you understand your room’s exact PM 2.5 levels and change settings to remove pollutants. Our testers discovered that this air purifier was one of the quickest and most effective when it came to removing smoke particles and pet hair during testing. Even on its lowest setting, the Bissell Air400 reduced PM 2.5 levels from a 999.9 (hazardous) to a 5 (good) in just five minutes—the most drastic transformation we saw in our tests. This device uses three different filters to help clear the air: a pre-filter for large particles like pet hair and dander, an activated carbon filter for odors, and a HEPA filter to remove 99.9% of particles 0.3 microns in size and smaller. Compared to other air purifiers we tested, this model had the most impressive features, according to our experts, since the display shows an exact PM 2.5 reading and changes colors to indicate your room’s air quality at a glance. You’ll also be able to change the fan speed, set the device to auto mode, and see when your filter needs replacing directly on top of the machine. It even automatically dims the LED display in dark rooms, so you won’t be disrupted by a bright light when sleeping. While the Bissell Air400 doesn’t offer app connection, we didn’t miss it since the digital display provided such an accurate and in-depth analysis on its own. This air purifier is even Energy Star certified, meaning it won’t cause a huge spike in your energy bill every month just to operate it. The only thing we’d change is its noise levels when run on the highest fan speed—at 80 decibels, it would likely be disruptive to run at this speed while sleeping. However, since the air purifier is extremely effective even on the low fan speed (which is just 40 decibels), you can still operate the device at night. Price at time of publish: $361 Product Details: Recommended Room Size: 432 square feet | CADR: Smoke (313), dust (319), pollen (353) | Noise Level: 80 decibels | Dimensions: 16.13 x 9.75 x 24 inches
Our Testing Process
To test the best air purifiers for pets, we assembled a team of experts to use 38 different air purifiers in our lab in Des Moines, Iowa. During testing, we placed each air purifier in an enclosed space, then added smoke and pet hair to the room to see how quickly the air purifier was able to remove harmful particles from the room. We manually checked PM 2.5 levels before and after adding pollutants to the air, then checked the levels again after five and ten minutes had passed. Our testers also evaluated each device based on its design, features, ease of use, and overall value for the price. After taking all of these factors into consideration, we created our list of the best air purifiers for pets.
What to Know About Air Purifiers for Pets Before Shopping
Room Size
When shopping for the best air purifiers for pets, one of the most important things to keep in mind is the room size it can handle. You’ll want to make sure that you have the approximate square footage of the room you want to place it in so you can select the most efficient model based on the size of the area. (There are air purifiers for pets on this list ranging in capacity from 215 to 1,560 square feet.)
CADR
Another factor to consider when choosing the best air purifiers for pets is its Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR). “A useful way to determine [if an air purifier is powerful enough for your room size] is by looking at an air cleaner’s clean air delivery rating or CADR rating,” Mendez says. “If you purchase an air cleaner with a CADR rating too low for your room, it will be ineffective.” According to the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, “CADR indicates the volume of filtered air an air cleaner delivers, with separate scores for tobacco smoke, pollen, and dust.” The higher the number, the faster and more effective the air purifier will clean the air. You should look for an air purifier with a smoke CADR that’s at least two-thirds of the room’s square footage. Manufacturers often list a recommended room size and a CADR score that are based on the appliance changing the air 4.8 times per hour.
Filters
Look for high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters for the best results. These filters can remove 99.97% of airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Some air purifiers for pets also have activated carbon filters to reduce odors. If your pet has a lot of fur, a pre-filter will catch hair and prevent it from clogging the HEPA filter. Keep in mind that filters need to be regularly replaced (or cleaned, if it’s reusable) for the air purifier to actually work.
Features
You can also look for additional features that make air purifiers easier to use, like timers, air quality sensors, and filter replacement indicators. Some models even have night modes that limit noise and lights so they don’t disrupt your sleep. According to Mendez, the best air purifiers for pets will be able to handle a wide range of allergens, seal off the pollutants they capture to prevent them from re-entering the room, and will not produce ozone as they purify. If you suffer from allergies or asthma, you can find out if the device you’re looking to buy has an Asthma and Allergy Friendly certification, which further ensures that the air purifier will be able to help alleviate your symptoms.
Other Air Purifiers We Tested
Holmes Desktop HEPA-Type Filter
Our experts found the Holmes Desktop HEPA-Type Filter Air Purifier to be effective at removing pollutants from the air in our tests, but ultimately, it wasn’t as impressive as many of the others we tested. It was difficult to assemble, and its design was quite cheap-looking compared to other air purifiers in the same price range. The device does not indicate air quality anywhere, so you just have to assume it’s working, which caused our testers to give it a lower rating.
GermGuardian 5-in-1 Air Purifier
After exposing the GermGuardian 5-in-1 Air Purifier to airborne pollutants for 10 minutes in an enclosed space, it was only able to reduce the room’s PM 2.5 levels to a “moderate” rating. Other air purifiers we tested—including devices that cost less and were designed for smaller rooms than the GermGuardian—were able to purify the air more quickly than this model, so we chose to exclude it from our list of the best air purifiers for pets.
BlueAir DustMagnet Tabletop Air Purifier
The design and effectiveness of the Blueair DustMagnet 5210i Tabletop Air Purifier made it less impressive to our testers than desired. On low mode, this device couldn’t reduce PM 2.5 levels in our test space, and after 10 minutes of operation, the levels were still considered very poor. Additionally, we found that the legs on this device were uneven, so it wobbled slightly on the table.
Your Questions, Answered
Do air purifiers actually help with pet hair and odors?
Air purifiers are a great way to get rid of pet odors and reduce the amount of fur floating in the air. If pet odors are your main concern, look for a model with an activated carbon filter to absorb smells coming from the litter box or unexpected accidents. Anyone with pets that shed a lot should pick an air purifier with a washable pre-filter—it’s a layer that catches large particles (like pet hair) and can be easily vacuumed and washed when it gets dirty.
How often do air purifier filters need to be replaced?
Some air purifiers have washable filters that can be cleaned or vacuumed, while others use disposable filters that need to be regularly replaced. Every manufacturer has different guidelines, but you should be prepared to swap out replaceable filters at least every six months or so, depending on use. There are even some models with indicators that remind you when it’s time to replace the filter.
What’s the difference between True HEPA and HEPA-type filters?
If you see an air purifier labeled as having a True HEPA filter, it means that the filter meets the U.S. Department of Energy’s standards of filtering 99.97% of bacteria, dust, pollen, and other airborne particles measuring 0.3 microns. Filters labeled as HEPA-type or HEPA-grade may still remove particles from the air, but they have not been tested to meet those standards.
Who We Are
This article was written by Samantha Jones, an associate commerce editor at Better Homes & Gardens who writes about the best home products worth purchasing. For this story, Samantha researched air purifiers and important features to look for when shopping, then compared her findings to testing insights gathered from our lab in Des Moines, Iowa. She also spoke with Kenneth Mendez, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, for his expertise on this topic.
What is BHG Recommends?
Next to all of the products on this list, you may have noticed our BHG Recommends seal of approval. Products that earn the seal have been put through rigorous testing to make sure they’re worth a spot in your home. We buy most of the products we test ourselves, but occasionally we are provided samples by companies if buying isn’t an option. In these cases, we use the same testing criteria we use to test the purchased products and we let you know that we got it for free to remain as transparent as possible about our picks. Looking for more products that have earned our BHG Recommends seal of approval? Check out our picks for everything from picnic blankets to humidifiers.
